


Midnight Companionship

by Red_Lenses



Series: When The Storm Breaks [2]
Category: Rockman | Mega Man Classic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Language, or maybe stress/cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 15:57:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11535543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Lenses/pseuds/Red_Lenses
Summary: Bass is enjoying some time to himself in the city when someone unexpected pays him a visit.





	Midnight Companionship

**Author's Note:**

> Regarding the names, I follow the understanding that Blues is Proto Man's real name just like Rock is Mega Man's. Therefore anyone who knows him personally has no problem referring to him by that name.

Bass had always found the humans’ apparent fear of the dark strange. He had seen them in the city all day, scurrying around on the ground and swarming in and out of buildings like so many ants at work around their nest. He had seen the morning and evening traffic as most of them tried to get to their destinations all at once. They were active from dawn until dusk, and yet after night fell only a thin trickle remained of the raging river of life that had flooded the streets.

It was strange, but it suited him just fine. Night was when he made his escape from the fortress to have fun on his own. He was happy to prowl the streets, either by himself or with Treble by his side, without having to worry about humans getting in his way. They were nothing but a waste of space to him and it was better when they were all shut up safely inside, where he didn’t have to look at them.

Tonight the destination he had picked was at the top of an office building. It was just tall enough to give him a good view of the city’s shimmering lights, yet not so tall that he couldn’t pick out individual cars making their way along the streets far below. He sat perched on the wall, a lit cigarette in one hand and his loyal canine companion sitting by his side, as the two of them overlooked the city quietly.

Bass blew out a stream of smoke and watched the wisps fade away into the cool air. “We’re gonna get out of this place someday, Treble.”

The wolf’s head was resting on his forepaws, which were hooked over the top of the short wall upon which Bass was perched. At the sound of his master’s voice his head turned toward him, ears tilting in his direction. Bass scratched behind his companion’s ears before taking another drag on the cigarette. The breeze caught the smoke as he exhaled it and carried it away from them. “… Someday. We just have to find the right time.”

Treble had heard the words countless times before. They had become somewhat of a mantra that seemed to keep Bass going, despite everything he had been put through. Despite the times Wily had used him or manipulated him into doing what he wanted. Despite all of the menial tasks handed off to Bass now that their creator seemed to have given up on him entirely.

Someday they would be free to live their own lives. Treble could hardly fault his master for holding onto a dream like that.

Bass stared at the remains of the cigarette before crushing it out between two fingers and flicking it away from him. With that he turned away from the view and swung both legs back over the wall. For a moment he just sat there, staring instead at the roof of the building. “I’m not ready to head back yet. You don’t mind if we stay out a bit longer, do you, boy? Don’t need to fuel up any time soon?”

Treble could only bark in response, but Bass seemed to understand it as a no. He made his way slowly to the center of the roof, where he sank down upon the concrete. As Treble padded to his side the SWN stretched out on his back, letting out a sigh as he stared up at the stars.

The canine had barely settled beside his master when a crimson beam of light flashed down from the sky onto the rooftop. Treble sprang to his feet again, growling, as the light resolved itself into a helmeted figure clutching a shield in one hand. By the time Bass scrambled to his feet, on high alert, Treble’s growl had already trailed off into a whimper as he recognized the intruder. Bass was only a moment behind.

“What the… Blues?!”

The figure stumbled, tripping over the edge of its shield. It hit the ground on all fours and stayed there, shaking and sucking in air. Bass swiftly closed the distance between them and crouched down, instantly recognizing that something was wrong. Up close it was far easier to see the scorch marks upon the familiar helmet and boots. “You were in a fight. Treble, keep watch. Whoever it is might follow.”

Blues was still unable to protest as he was scooped up in two powerful arms and carried over to the shelter of a massive air conditioning unit upon the rooftop. Behind its cover Bass settled him carefully upright, adjusting his pose so that he would not fall over. The shield fell from Blues’ relaxed hand as Bass took hold of his helmet and lifted it off, allowing his stiff hair to spring free. Behind his visor the other robot’s eyes were tightly shut and he wasted no time in fumbling for one of the pairs of sunglasses he constantly carried with him.

Only once his eyes were covered once again did Blues finally speak. “Caught me by surprise. I don’t think they followed.”

“You sure?” Bass glanced around the side of the unit again. Treble was still patrolling the rooftop but there was no sign of another robot.

Blues sucked in more air, one hand inching toward his chest. Unfortunately for him Bass didn’t fail to notice the movement. “You’re malfunctioning again.”

“I’m not-“

“You wouldn’t be shaking so much otherwise.” The SWN rested a hand against Blues’ chest. Even through his bodysuit he felt far warmer than he should after a fight. Now that he was paying attention it was easy to notice how jerky the shorter robot’s movements were, which was definitely not normal. It was another of the warning signs he was getting used to seeing.

“I’m taking you back to the fortress.” Suddenly going home didn’t seem like such a bad idea. He knew from experience that his room was one of the best places for Blues to be whenever his malfunctioning core began to act up. He wasn’t sure if it was the cold, the quiet, or simply the company, but it usually seemed to be just what he needed. “Treble, change of plans. Let’s head home. Can you grab his shield and helmet?”

The wolf trotted around the side of the unit to join them and carefully nudged the discarded helmet onto the shield. Bass was already straightening up, the trembling Light bot secure in his arms. Within a few seconds he had bypassed the security keeping outsiders from teleporting directly into the fortress and vanished from the rooftop in his own beam of light.

—

Blues wasn’t sure how long he was lost in the grips of the pain. There was little more he could do than ride it out in silence, keeping his body as motionless as possible to avoid making it worse. All sensory input faded into a dull blur and he shut it out, trusting Bass to keep him safe until the fire within his chest began to ebb away.

When he returned to awareness he was lying on his back upon a hard mattress. The bedcovers had been flung aside and he slowly turned his head, searching for them. He found them scattered across the floor, pinned down by the shield and helmet which had been deposited on top of them. At least he knew where his belongings were.

His head turned the other way as the bed dipped down slightly. His gaze fell upon two large metal paws and followed them up to the concerned wolf face peering over the edge of the mattress at him. Treble must have seen him move and wanted to check on him, Blues thought with a weak flicker of a smile. “Hey there, boy. I’m feeling better. Where’s Bass?”

No sooner had the words left his mouth when the door swung open. Blues tensed up, expecting danger, only to break down into a fit of coughing before he could even see who was there. The door closed again and Bass strode into view, an E-Tank in his hand and a small frown creasing his expression.

Blues sucked in another breath and forced a smile. “H-hey.”

“Hey yourself. You’re not planning on dying on me, are you? These walls are tough but I don’t know if they could withstand a nuclear explosion. Not to mention the two of us,” he added, referring to Treble and himself.

“Of course not. I’m feeling better. Is that for me?” he added in a hopeful croak, eyeing the SWN’s hand. He received a snort in response and at first he thought that was all the answer he was going to get.

The other side of the bed sank down when Bass perched there. To Blues surprise he found a gentle hand slipped behind his back, slowly helping him sit up. He assisted as well as he could, pushing with his elbows, struggling to hold his head up on his own, until he was sitting nestled against Bass’ side with his head on the Wily bot’s shoulder. “Tiny sips,” Bass murmured as he brought the E-Tank to the shorter robot’s lips. “Don’t want you to choke if you start coughing again.”

Normally Blues hated showing weakness. It was a fact that Bass was well aware of; he kept his grip tight the entire time, expecting Blues to either pull away or knock the canister out of his hand at any moment. To his surprise, neither happened. He could feel Blues slowly begin to adjust his posture as he recovered his strength a little at a time, but he remained there until the canister was empty. Even when Bass set it aside Blues still didn’t push him away.

Slowly, hesitantly, the arm that had been keeping Blues secure instead drifted down to curl around his waist. This time he shifted and Bass moved as though to let go. Instead he found a hand holding his arm there as the crimson robot made himself more comfortable against his companion’s side, his head resting in the hollow of Bass’ neck. “Thanks,” he murmured softly.

Bass relaxed and adjusted his grip once more. Rather than responding in words he brushed aside Blues’ hair and planted a silent kiss upon his forehead. After that the two sat quietly, basking in each other’s company.

—

Treble had fallen asleep on the discarded bedcovers as the night wore on. Blues had long since fallen still, his eyes closed and his body slumped against Bass. Although none of them had any need for sleep the SWN was tempted to join them. It would be boring to sit here all night with only two hibernating robots for company. Not to mention at some point he would need to fuel up himself, which could be delayed if he slept and preserved his energy.

Just as he was debating whether he could lower Blues onto his back without him waking up, the robot in question spoke. “What are we going to do?” He felt the way Bass jerked in surprise and raised his head, frowning, to meet the SWN’s wide-eyed stare.

“Shit, Blues, you scared the hell out of me. Thought you were asleep.”

“Sorry.” A moment of silence followed before Blues repeated the question again. “What are we going to do, though? About us?”

“What d’you mean? We’ll do whatever we want. No one can control us.”

The frown deepened. Behind the sunglasses Bass saw Blues’ eyes flick away from him before he stated quietly, “Wily can. I’m afraid of what he could do. Either to me… or to you and Treble. He could force us apart if he wanted to.”

“What reason would he have?” Bass enquired. This time there was no response, but Blues didn’t relax in the slightest. It didn’t matter to him if neither of them could think of a reason. If Wily found one, regardless of how obscure or abstract it might be, he could punish them both for the time they spent together.

“We shouldn’t spend time together here any more,” Blues said softly.

“What? If you think I’m gonna stay away from you just because one old sack of flesh-“

“No, I don’t mean that. Just… here.” Blues gestured around them with one hand. “At the fortress. I need to stop coming to your room before we get found out. At least until we find a better way to protect ourselves from him.”

“… I still think you’re being paranoid, but fine. No more meetings here.” Bass idly began to stroke Blues’ hair. It was stiff from the amount of gel he used to maintain his regular hairstyle, although right now it was crushed into the curve of Bass’ neck and shoulder. He found himself playing with it and attempting to shape it into the exaggerated pompadour Blues usually sported. “You’ll have to tell me where you’re staying, then. One of us has to be able to find the other.”

There was a short pause before Blues responded, “I’ll tell you as soon as I find another place. My old one has been… compromised.”

Understanding came to Bass in a flash. “That’s where you were attacked?”

“… Yeah.”

The SWN’s arms tightened. It didn’t matter much who the robot who had found Blues was, but now it made sense why they wouldn’t follow. Society didn’t look kindly upon robots with no job or purpose. Considering Blues lived his life on the run, frequently stealing to get by, he was a prime target for attacks. Not only by humans who thought of him as scum, but also by robots who saw his lifestyle as against the law and a threat to their own existence. If only he would stay here, Bass thought longingly. The fortress was perfect for him.

Unfortunately, he also knew that Blues would sooner die than join Wily’s side again. He had already chosen that path once and regarded it as the biggest mistake of his life, as he had angrily informed Bass more than once.

Blues shifted again and began to push away the arms around him. “I should go-“

“Wait. You still need to rest.” Whether he did or not, Bass didn’t know. Blues seemed to have recovered all of his strength already. But if this was their last night together in his room, he wanted to make it last. “Just stay until morning. No one has to know.”

There was a pause. Blues was going to refuse and insist on getting out as soon as he could, but then he thought about what it would mean. He would end up spending the night alone in the cold, searching for a new place to stay, while unable to see effectively through the dark without removing his glasses and risking being blinded by sudden lights. Was it really better to do that than spend a few more hours here with Bass to recover his strength? “… Just until morning. Then I have to leave.”

Just like always, Bass thought to himself as he watched Blues shuffle over on the bed and take off his sunglasses. Regardless of how long he stayed here, he had never lingered past sunrise. It was just another of the habits Bass had gotten used to, along with the way he insisted on keeping his eyes shut whenever they were uncovered. He removed his own helmet to free his dark shaggy hair before flopping down beside Blues, one arm curling around his waist again.

“Wake me up when you’re about to leave,” he whispered into Blues’ hearing receptor.

“I will. Sleep well, Bass.” Blues tilted his head and his lips met the other robot’s in a gentle kiss. All too soon he had drawn back and made himself comfortable. Only the slight tension in his body gave away the fact that he was still conscious; a fact which Bass failed to notice as he allowed himself to slip into sleep mode with a tiny smile on his face. It would be quite some time before Blues finally relaxed enough to do the same.


End file.
